The invention presented relates to the general field of rain gutters as attached to a structure for collection and proper disposal of rain water. More specifically, it relates to removal of unwanted solid debris such as leaves, twigs, and bark that accumulate at downspout openings causing stoppage and spillage of water.
Improper care in disposal or dispersion of drainage water can result in erosion of soil and serious damage to land and property. This is particularly true of rain water, as it appears to be falling harmlessly off the edges of roofs. The continued seepage of rain water through the porous soil around and under a structure results in such erosion. This erosion will eventually undermine the foundation causing cracks and ensuing damage.
To control this problem, rain gutters are installed on most structures to carry away the run-off from the roof. These gutters are pitched at a slight downward angle allowing the water to be channelled to the low point where it is discharged through an opening in the bottom. The water exits through this opening into a pipe called a downspout, and it continues to flow through this pipe to a sewer or other means of dispersion on the ground away from the building foundation.
As long as the system remains open and flowing, the water is harmlessly disposed. Interruptions to this free-flow do occur, however, caused by the collection of leaves, twigs, bark, and other undesired debris along with the water. The debris can move with the water to the openings, and these openings are smaller than the gutter, causing restrictions. At these points solids in the effluence accumulate building up with each new rainfall until clogging occurs. The stoppage can take place at the opening in the gutter or in the downspout pipe. Ensuing rain can cause a pooling of water, and the gutters fill to capacity until spillage occurs over the sides contributing to the possible erosion of the foundation of the structure. This accumulation of water puts a heavy load on the gutter supports. This load can cause bending and sagging resulting in the loss of proper drainage angle of flow, often permanently. To keep the gutters open, the property owner must clean them frequently or use some method of preventing the accumulation of such debris. Since cleaning can be dangerous and distasteful, or costly, many products have been advanced to assist in attempting to keep gutters open and flowing.
These products can be divided into four different categories:
1. The first is devoted to preventing debris from entering the gutters.
2. The second is devoted to preventing debris already in the gutters from entering the downspout.
3. The third is designed to separate and eject debris after it has passed through the downspout connector.
4. A fourth method advanced allows debris and water to fall through an opening in the bottom of the gutter onto a collector positioned below the opening designed to screen out the solids.
Category No. 1
It appears that one of the earliest methods of preventing debris from entering the gutters was a screen over the top, completely around the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,393 September 1962 McLean was awarded for a gutter cover made of sheet metal with round perforated holes keeping the debris out while allowing the water to enter. From this many new screens have been fashioned incorporating expanded metal and hardware cloth, as well as other straining materials. Of late, screens have been made from both flexible and rigid plastic with varied openings. A problem with mesh screens is its propensity to snag leaf stems and other erose points. This snagging holds the leaves in accumulated layers blocking the water from entering, causing spillage over the edge. The leaves are also held until they dry, becoming brittle. The dried leaves break off, and a part falls into the gutter. This accumulation and build-up must be removed to prevent blockage. Cleaning under the screens makes a distasteful task more unpleasant. Some screens are now made with hinges to facilitate cleaning.
An additional method of shielding the gutters from receiving debris is a cover made from metal or plastic without perforation. The solid cover extends over the top of the gutters at a downward angle allowing the water and debris to slide over the side. The debris is free to fall, but a rounded outer edge on the shield causes the water to cling by surface tension until it can fall through a narrow opening into the gutter. The narrow opening keeps most of the unwanted solids out, but many of these products are equipped with hinges for cleaning the accumulation that does occur. During heavy rain when sudden surges of rain overcome the capacity of surface tension, spillage can be experienced.
Category No. 2
The second general method of preventing interruption of water flow is to attempt to screen the downspout opening from debris that has already entered the gutters. U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,248 August 1940 Lighthill was awarded for a device with closely spaced xe2x80x9cfingersxe2x80x9d to be placed in the gutter over the downspout opening. A derivation of this idea is now in widespread use made from wire or mesh in the form of a pear that is placed in the downspout connector at the gutter level. This is designed to hold back the solids in the gutter while letting the water pass through. Other screening devices include boxes with removable screens for cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,635 April 1992 Carpenter was awarded for a device that channels the effluence through a cloth sock that retains the solids while letting the liquid pass through the interstices of the cloth.
Since these types of devices are fashioned to retain and accumulate the debris in the gutter, they can do more to aggravate the problem than to relieve it. The property owner is still confronted with the task of frequent gutter cleaning or its harmful alternative.
Category No. 3
A third method of solving the flowage problem is to permit the water and solids to pass down through the downspout connector, or in some cases into the downspout, where a separator is positioned. The debris is separated by a strainer and allowed to slide out the side while the water passes down through the openings in the strainer into the downspout. U.S. Pat. No. 2,090,997 August 1937 French was awarded for a device called a xe2x80x9crefuse eliminatorxe2x80x9d to be placed in the downspout to strain out and eject solids while letting the water fall through. At later dates, U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,274 September 1984 Williams and U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,377 January 1989 Bolt were awarded for similar devices to be installed at the top of the downspout and below the downspout connector to screen solids from the effluence, ejecting them out an opening in the side while letting the water pass through into the downspout. The downspout connector is located at the bottom of the gutter, and is limited in opening size to the dimensions of the gutter. Consequently, only solids that are able to pass through the small opening can reach the strainer, and all other debris remains and gathers in the gutters. This remaining material must be removed by hand at uncertain intervals to prevent accumulation and clogging.
Category No. 4
Two devices have been awarded patents that are similar in design. The principle employed is to allow the effluence to fall through an opening in the bottom of the gutter onto a collector box equipped with a straining system that strains out the solids while allowing the liquid to pass through into the downspout. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,153 October 1986 Carey allows the effluence to fall onto a solid, slightly curved, surface encouraging the outflow to slide off the side. Surface tension is used to direct the water into slits on two opposite vertical sides while the solids are free to fall clear. The efficiency of the device for collection of water is questioned. The free-fall exposure to the wind opens the possibility that much of the flow could be blown clear of the collector. It is also probable that splashing on the surface of the collector could cause a portion of the water to be lost over the side. In addition, sudden heavy rain could overcome the surface tension on the vertical sides allowing a portion of the water to fall clear of the slits.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,612 June 1996 Wade is designed to allow the effluence to fall through an opening in the bottom of the gutter onto a collector positioned below. The collector is made with a series of three mesh strainers on the top and positioned to slope downward at an angle of between 20xc2x0 and 45xc2x0 from horizontal. The top mesh screen is spaced to provide openings of 5 mmxc3x975 mm to intercept larger solids, and the secondary screens are spaced to provide openings of 0.09 mmxc3x970.09 mm to screen out small particles.
The efficiency of the water collection is questioned. The opening at the bottom of the gutter is made with a downward wind deflector called a xe2x80x9cpopxe2x80x9d to shield the effluence during part of the free-fall. Since the downward projection extends only part of the distance to the strainer, the fall is still subjected to winds and splashing. The upper mesh screen positioned at an angle of between 20xc2x0 and 45xc2x0 from horizontal (a mean angle of 32xc2xdxc2x0) offers a high possibility of snagging leaf stems and other erose debris.
Experiments on the device that is the subject of this patent request (OGS) have shown that such a screen has the propensity to snag and hold passing leaves causing ensuing solids to build up. This build-up blocks portions of the screen causing splashing and spillage over the sides. Unless cleaned, the dried leaves break off and accumulate until blockage occurs. (The experiment is explained in a following section.)
It has been related above that, to date, in attempt to keep gutters open and flowing, devices have been advanced that either restrict the collection capability of the gutters, restrict the discharge capacity of the downspouts, or do not maintain control of the effluence through the entire discharge process. Although the experience of the inventor at his own house is similar to that of most property owners, it is mentioned at this point as additional background material. When purchased, the house was equipped with mesh strainers covering the entire gutter system. Constant spillage over the sides, as a result of clogging and excess collection, caused the inventor to discard the strainers after about three years. Downspout screens were retained at each downspout drop making the gutters much easier to dean, but the clogging and spillage continued. After many years of living with these conditions, the problem was diagnosed as a combination of the following conditions:
1. Open-top gutters, draining the entire roof area, have a collection capacity far greater than the capacity of the downspouts assigned to the task of discharging the effluence unless the water can flow rapidly through the downspout at volumes consistent with intake.
2. The rainwater, carrying the debris along, flows to the low end and accumulates, stopped by the end-stop and awaiting the downspout to permit sufficient drainage to clear the gutter. Without water movement the solid debris stays in place and is compacted by ensuing clutter and turns putrid.
3. The opening for the downspout connector is limited in size, and is capable of passing only those solids small enough to fit. Larger solids remain in the gutter near the downspout opening accumulating more debris with each rainfall until the opening eventually becomes clogged. This shuts down the drainage, but the gutters remain open, filling to capacity until spillage occurs.
Using this prior experience as a means of avoiding similar problems, a new device is proposed that keeps gutters open to accept maximum collection capacities, downspouts that are effectively free from impingement, keeping discharge at maximum levels, and a controlled flow of discharge from roof to disposal, free from winds and splashing. This product is named Open Gutter Strainer (OGS), and it is presented in detail herein.
Product Development and Testing
Gutters, open on top, are free to accept the off-fall at full capacity, but to eliminate the accumulation of solid debris carried to the low end by the water flow, the drainage must be capable of discharging effluence in comparable volumes and without restriction. Two such restrictions are the end-stop and the smaller downspout connector opening, and they should be removed.
The background and prior art provided the criterion to create a new device that can keep the gutters open and flowing and enable the system to function at full capacity. All impediments to receiving or discharging the effluence must be eliminated.
The device needed at the end of the open gutter must be both a collector and a strainer to separate the solids while capturing the liquids for proper disposal. Therefore, an elongated collector box was designed to collect and strain the effluence, ejecting the solids while permitting the liquids to flow through the strainer into the collector box and then to the downspout connected to the bottom. The requirements of the collector box were:
1. It must be large enough to catch the effluence exiting from the open gutter.
2. It must contain a screen of some sort to separate the solids from the liquid.
3. It must be mounted at a steep angle to enable the solid debris to slide off the end.
4. It must be capable of connection to new or existing downspouts.
Tests were needed, and to create assimilated house conditions, gutters were temporarily erected and positioned for testing. Old rotting leaves and a hose as the source of water were selected for the test material. Screen material such as expanded metal and hardware cloth were initially selected for testing. The opening sizes in the hardware cloth were xe2x85x9xe2x80x3, xc2xcxe2x80x3, and xc2xdxe2x80x3. Each was tested at angles between 30xc2x0 and 60xc2x0 downward from horizontal. The xc2xcxe2x80x3 and the xc2xdxe2x80x3 snagged the stems and points of the leaves causing a build up of the ensuing effluence, blocking the liquid from entering the collector box and causing spillage. At shallow angles, the solids would not move regardless of greatly increased volume of water and water pressure. At the steep angle of 60xc2x0 down from horizontal, the leaves could be moved with heavy volume of water, but most of the liquid spilled out the end. Comparable results were experienced with the use of expanded metal with an opening size of xc2xcxe2x80x3. The xe2x85x9xe2x80x3 material was free from snagging, but the small openings were closed over by the surface tension of the water, and almost all the liquid was spilled.
A different type of strainer was needed, and a strainer of closely spaced parallel bars seemed most likely to avoid the snagging problem. Smooth parallel bars were introduced into the testing procedure, and the results proved to be very favorable. The snagging was eliminated. The size, spacing, and the angle of installation were determined by trial and error. Repeated testing confirmed successful results.
At that point the testing moved to actual conditions. Hand made units were produced and installed on the inventor""s house, and these devices have been in test under actual weather conditions for more than a year. The gutters were cleaned prior to the installation, and they have not been cleaned since. To date, the gutters have remained open and flowing. During this period the gutters have been flushed completely clean on several occasions by heavy rains. At the end of the winter, the encrusted solids were also flushed clean by the melting ice and snow.
This invention consists of a device that creates a new and improved method of channelling rainfall through the existing rain gutter and downspout system in wide use around the world. To prevent erosion under structures, the water must be contained and controlled from the collection by the gutters through the disposal by the downspout drainage pipes. Spillage caused by impingement, blockage due to collected debris, or wind spray must be eliminated, and this new device can accomplish these objectives without the bother or cost of frequent gutter cleaning.
The use of the the OGS in the rain gutter system enables the system to be altered by elimination of the two primary causes of impingement and blockage, the end-stops at the low ends and the downspout connector openings at the bottom of the gutter. This permits free flow of discharge out the end of the open gutters. The OGS mounted at the end of the open gutter receives the effluence and discharges the solids while collecting the liquids for passage to the downspout that is connected at the bottom of the collector box. The free-flow permits the gutter to drain at a rate of speed and in volumes consistent with collection greatly minimizing any opportunity for spillage. The OGS can be used in both new installations and in existing gutter systems, and because of its versatile connector-adaptor it can connect with round or rectangular downspouts in current use. The potential for immediate use of this new in-line collector-strainer represents a very large market which is readily available. The OGS is an inexpensive solution to an old and troublesome problem.
The OGS is comprised of parts which are described and function as follows:
1. The COLLECTOR BOX is an elongated box open on top. It is about 18xe2x80x3 in length with bottom and sides about 5xc2xdxe2x80x3 wide at this length with sloping ends to form a vertical back wall and a horizontal bottom and stub wall at the lower front when mounted on the structure. The box assumes a steep angle down from horizontal. The COLLECTOR BOX collects the liquid and channels it, functioning like a small trough, to the downspout for safe disposal. The COLLECTOR BOX contains a round opening in the horizontal bottom for snug fit with the CONNECTOR-ADAPTOR. The COLLECTOR BOX can be made from formed sheet metal or sheet plastic or it can be molded from metal or plastic.
2. The BAR STRAINER, made from plastic or metal parallel bars, with dimensions of about 10xe2x80x3xc3x971xe2x80x3xc3x97xe2x85x9xe2x80x3 positioned to form spaces between about 10xe2x80x3xc3x971xe2x80x3xc3x97xe2x85x9cxe2x80x3. The BAR STRAINER is made of two sets of such bars in two tiers with the upper tier overlapping the lower tier by about 2xe2x80x3 providing an over-all length of about 18xe2x80x3 and a width of about 5xc2xd. The upper tier is positioned with the upper bars over the spaces between the lower tier bars. The BAR STRAINER is placed to cover the entire open top area at an angle of about 55xc2x0 down from horizontal with the upper end leaning on the back wall of the COLLECTOR BOX and the lower end resting on and extending about 1xe2x80x3 out from the front stub wall. The BAR STRAINER intercepts the solids in the effluence, separating them from the liquid, where they slide down and off the end while the liquid falls between the bars into the COLLECTOR BOX.
3. The CONNECTOR-ADAPTOR, preferably made from molded plastic, is designed to connect the COLLECTOR BOX to the downspout pipe. It comprises a xc2xdxe2x80x3 wide circular flange with the outside diameter about 5xe2x80x3, atop a tubular funnel, and below this are three male connector areas each 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 high and descending in size from a circular shape sized to connect with 4xe2x80x3 plastic drainage pipe to a middle area, sized and shaped to connect with 3xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 rectangular downspout pipe to a lower area, sized and shaped to connect with 2xe2x80x3xc3x973xe2x80x3 rectangular downspout pipe. The CONNECTOR-ADAPTOR can be dropped down through the opening or mounted to the bottom of the COLLECTOR BOX by fasteners through the flange. The circular shape of the connection permits the CONNECTOR-ADAPTOR to be rotated to any angle needed to comply with the position of the downspout. The unneeded stub, below the connector selected area, is cut off and discarded to permit full flow. The CONNECTOR-ADAPTOR is not limited to these sizes.
4. Mounting hardware, consisting of a MOUNTING PLATE and two MOUNTING STRAPS, is used to connect the COLLECTOR BOX to the gutter and to the structure. The OGS can discharge the effluence to the left, to the right, or to the front as determined by the placement of these parts. The MOUNTING PLATE is attached to the COLLECTOR BOX at the upper end on either side or on the back wall, and it is then mounted on the structure. If connected to the side, the BAR STRAINER is pointed to the side, and thus the discharge flows to that direction. By reversing the mounting to the opposite side, the flow is directed to the side in the opposite direction. If the MOUNTING PLATE is attached to the back wall, the discharge is to the front. The OGS is positioned under and behind the gutter allowing the gutter to overlap about xc2xdxe2x80x3, and the fasteners pass through both the back of the gutter and the MOUNTING PLATE simultaneously in the overlapped area when driven into the side of the structure. The MOUNTING STRAP(S) are used to hold the COLLECTOR BOX in a touching position with the bottom of the gutter by connecting the outer front area of the COLLECTOR BOX to the upper front of the gutter. The fasteners can be sheet metal screws, rivets, or nuts and bolts, and the OGS is mounted to the structure with screws of no less than xc2xexe2x80x3 or ring nails.
As a result of this unrestricted open-end discharge, the debris that would otherwise be contained by the lower end-stop is pushed or floated out the end, eliminating build-up and ensuing blockage. The continued flow of effluence out the open end purges the gutter of debris. Depending upon the amount and the frequency of rainfall and melting ice and snow, the gutters are purged, either partially or even completely, keeping the ends open to flow freely. This provides the following benefits:
1. Open-end gutters allow free-flow avoiding spillage and possible erosion.
2. Open-end gutters, purged by rain water, eliminate the need for frequent hand cleaning.
3. Open-end gutters eliminate pooling of water and collected debris that can put heavy weights on the gutters and brackets causing them to bend from proper drainage angles, often permanently.
4. Open-end gutters allow even small amounts of water to drain, eliminating standing water that can provide a breeding area for unwanted insects.
Downspouts may be placed at the ends of the gutter or any place in between. It is, therefore, necessary that the OGS be capable of installation in all such positions. A collector box could be designed for each of these positions, but for the advantage of production economy and easier distribution, separate mounting hardware is favored. Such hardware, consisting of a mounting plate and two mounting straps, can be attached to the collector box in three different points to allow mounting in all necessary positions. The mounting hardware serves to connect the OGS to the gutter and to the structure. The choice of points determines the direction of discharge as desired; either to the left, to the right, or to the front. The methods of mounting the hardware for selected positions are illustrated in FIG. 17, FIG. 18, FIG. 19, FIG. 20, FIG. 21, and FIG. 22.
If the COLLECTOR BOX and the mounting hardware are made from plastic, they may be attached to each other with plastic cement rather than fasteners, and parts made from plastic made be used with parts made from metal interchangeably.
In times of prolonged dry spells, when rain is not available nor expected, the open end enables the gutters to be flushed of undesired debris with only a garden hose.